Best over the counter cough syrup with codeine

Do cough medications work? Health Get Healthy Best Health

Can't stop coughing? If you are like more than 40 percent of Canadians, you will reach for an over-the-counter cough medicine to find relief.

Most respirologists say coughing is a good thing. “It’s a natural reflex to clear noxious irritants and secretions, such as mucus (or phlegm), from the airways,” says Dr. Andreas Freitag, an associate professor of medicine and pediatrics at McMaster University. A cough is classified as acute (usually dry in nature and caused by a viral infection) if it lasts one or two weeks; check with your doctor if it lasts longer than two weeks.

This article was originally titled "Cough medications: Are they effective?" in the January/February 2010 issue of Best Health.